Jurnee Smollett-Bell's television career began in 1992, when the actress, age four, played Michelle Tanner's BFF Denise on Full House. Since then, Smollett-Bell has practically grown up on screen, appearing on long-running series such as Friday Night Lights, True Blood, and Parenthood. But despite her dependable track record, the engaging performer hasn't quite had that breakout moment—until now. Smollett-Bell, who is the sister of Empire star Jussie Smollett, has found her career-defining part on Underground, a dramatic series premiering tonight on WGN America. Her turn as a "house slave" named Rosalee in 19th century America is intense and emotionally wrought—and provides platform to a story that, she says, has not yet been properly told on television. We spoke with the actress about being cast in the historically important project, diversity in Hollywood, and, of course, Fuller House.

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What drew you into this project initially?

"Women in general are not written roles that often that are this complex."

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The writing. The script was just incredible. I was really skeptical about the project in general, initially, before my agent gave me the script, because I wondered how they could do this year after year as a television show. But when I read it I was really blown away by the writing and the originality and the fact that this story actually hasn't been told. The Underground Railroad, which was the first integrated civil rights movement, is a part of our history that not a lot of us know about. And it's actually a very empowering side of our history. Rosalee is a very complicated character and you don't get scripts like this often. Women in general are not written roles that often that are this complex, so the chance to dive into that was something I couldn't pass up.

What did you have to do to get the role?

Once I read the script I texted the director, Anthony Hemingway, who I had worked with on True Blood, and started campaigning for the role. I was like, 'Look, there is no one else out there who could do this as well as me.' And I sent him a whole book of reasons why I would kill it. He texted me back a picture of his pitching portfolio–directors use pitching portfolios to get the gig–and next to the name Rosalee was my picture.

What was your number one reason for why you'd kill it?

I understood her, you know? I understood the importance of not just playing her as meek and humble but also capturing the strength that she has inside of her. In the pilot, [that strength] comes out in the moment where she has to protect her brother, but it's a strength that is brewing inside of her that will take her far—especially in the first season. She eventually becomes someone she never thought she could be. And I just felt like I also understood her loneliness and the fact that she doesn't fit in anywhere on the plantation. She feels like an outsider and envies the field hands, because at least they have some kind of camaraderie, some sense of unity, some sense of family. I felt like I was the one for the job.

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How much research did you do?

I'm a research queen. I love this kind of stuff. I love to get in the library and just spend days researching characters. It's a very riveting story. It's a very dramatic story, inherently, and very dangerous. These were desperate and dangerous times, and it really is surprising that no one has done this yet. Our history is just so rich and there's so much story here to tell. Truth is stranger than fiction with this era. The things that really took place are shocking. I read slave narratives and, just in reading their words, you realize what life was like for them. They just tried to survive, you know? And they laughed, they loved, they danced, they bore children, they had jokes amongst each other. For me, it was important to capture the side of humanity in [these characters], instead of making them one-dimensional. There are real rich resources out there, but you kind of have to dig to find them.

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The most memorable scene in the pilot depicts your character being whipped. How hard is it to emotionally separate yourself from something like that after experiencing it?

Even after Anthony said "cut," I still was shaking and crying for a good ten minutes afterwards. Our co-creator and my castmates surrounded me and gave me this hug and let me come down from it. That was definitely one of the hardest scenes I've ever had to do in my life. To go there and experience the level of pain that the Rosalees of the world have experienced, you absolutely get a little overwhelmed by it. But, at the end of the day, it's an honor and a privilege to be able to bring a voice to their stories.

This is obviously an important part of American history, but why do you think it's particularly relevant for this story to be told now?

First, because not a lot of us know about it. We don't hear the story of our people fighting back and rising up and running. And then, also, seeing the level of togetherness that the Underground Railroad required. You had men and women from all walks of life and all races working together. That's when our country is great. Those are the moments when we really achieve great change in our nation. I think there's so much we can gain from looking back on this. That spirit of revolution. That spirit of saying, 'You know, this is an unjust law.' That's the spirit that has always propelled our country to be better. We have a long way to go, but, until we really reconcile this part of our past, we're going to have wounds that are going to be unhealed.

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Does that sense of togetherness exist today?

Yes, absolutely. There are amazing activists today. That sense of revolution, that sense of community, that sense of not wanting to take it–I could name so many activists who embody that spirit. Marian Wright Edelman is a mentor and hero of mine. She absolutely embodies that spirit. There are people doing amazing work on the frontlines. I think, sometimes, we might be a little disconnected and doing things separately, but that spirit still exists.

Does this show feel integral to the current conversation about diversity in Hollywood?

It's absolutely going to be part that conversation. It's an example of writers, like [Underground co-creators] Misha Green and Joe Pokaski, writing really complex and diverse characters. And really strong, complex women who are not just the girlfriends or set dressing. The characters are women who are not just existing based on their relationships with their male counterparts in the show. They have storylines of their own, completely independent of the male storylines. So it's going to be about writers continuing to do that. We've made incredible progress, especially in television. For me, it's about there being more material. By the time awards are announced, it's pointless to expect that anything be different if the work hasn't been done prior to that.

As someone who grew up on TV, have you noticed that the roles have gotten better?

"I fight for the roles that are not written black. That's where my fight is, always.​"

Yes. Are you kidding me? I've also noticed that people are more willing to open the roles up. We're still not there, but I fight for the roles that are not written black. That's where my fight is, always. But it's gotten better. And I think especially in television it's gotten better. That's why a lot of us are working in television: because the roles are there.

Has it been interesting to see Full House return after being part of the original?

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So interesting. And it's so funny how many people ask me about it! I was four years old when I was on the show. It's something people grew up with; it's a part of their childhood.

Do you remember much?

I vaguely remember moments. Everyone was so nice. And I remember the craft services was really good.

Of course a kid would only remember the food.

Of course! That's the important thing in life.

When you look back over all your roles, is there one of which you're most proud?

You know, I don't look back a lot. I'm so focused on feeling like I have so much more to achieve. I learned and grew in different ways on each project, and each project pushed me in different ways. Rosalee pushed me physically the hardest I've ever been pushed, while simultaneously pushing me emotionally.